Bridging horizontal and vertical spaces.



No. 812,952. PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906. R. 0. SAYE BRIDGING HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL SPACES. APPLICATION FILED 1330.28, 1903.

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PATENTED FEB.'20, 1906.

R. C. SAYER. BRIDGING HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL SPACES.

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APPLIOATION FILED DI;(7.28, 1903.

No. 812,952 PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906.

R. O. SAYER.

BRIDGING HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL SPACES.

APPLICATION FILED DECLZB, 1903.

No. 812,952. PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906.

y R. 0. SAYBR. BRIDGING HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL SPACES.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.28,1903.

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R. C. SAYER. BRIDGING HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL SPACES. APPLICATION FILED 1330.28, 1903.

8 SHBBTSSHEET 5. L da/ No. 812,952. PATENTBD FEB. 20, 1906. R. C. SAYER.

BRIDGING HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL SPACES. APPLICATION FILED DEG.28,1903.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 6- PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906.

R O. SAYER. BRIDGING HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL SPACES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 28, 1903.

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No. 812,952. PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906. R. 0, sum BRIDGING HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL SPACES APPLICATION FILED DEG.28, 1903.

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ROBERT COOKE SAYER,

BRIDGING HORIZONTAL Specification of Letters Patent.

FFICE.

OF BRISTOL, ENGLAND.

AND VERTICAL SPACES.

Patented Feb. 20, 1906.

Application filed December 28,1903. Serial No. 186,894.

To aZZ rah/01m it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT CooKE SAYER, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 11 Clyde road, Redland, Bristol, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bridging Horizontal and Vertical Spaces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object is communication between places difficult of access. It essentially con sists of a car or body suspended by ropes at tached to and passing round a drum at points to be connected. The ropes are single for short spans, more in number and diagonal for long spans, and are wound up and let out more or less by the drums to draw the car in either direction horizontally, laterally, or vertically. When the space to be bridged requires more than one span at intermediate piers, the ropes of one span attached to a car are changed for those of another span, and thereby make a continuous system of communication. Surplus rope is provided on the drums that when required after the car is landed is slackened out to sink more or less below the surface of water to allow a ship of any draft to pass over it. The object is attained as shown by the following specification and drawings, wherein Figure 1 shows the invention in sectional elevation adapted to connect two harborpiers; Fig. 2, to connect the sides of cliffs by four stopping-places. Fig. 3 is a detail of one class of support for the drum, motor, and drivingear of a terminal support; Fig. 4, a sectionaI elevation of the connections of the ropes with the car; Figs. 5 and 6, sections at A A and B B, Fig. 4; Fig. 7, a sectional elevation through the hinges connecting the car leveling cylinders and the rope quadrants; Fig. 8, a sectional elevation, in three parts, through the quadrants at C C C, Fig. 4; Fig.

9, an elevation of the tappet for reversing the flow of fluid from one car-leveling cylinder to the other when the car arrives at a pier. Figs. 10 and 10 are parts of a sectional elevation taken at D D, Figs. 5 and 8, the connecting-rod being at half-stroke, the piston at full stroke; Figs. 11 and 12, sectional elevations at E E and F F, Fig. 10; Fig. 13, a diagrammatic view showing how the car is kept level; Fig. 14, a plan showing diagonal ropes to the car. Fig. 15 shows the invention in sectional elevation adapted to cross an estuary by terminal and intermediate piers. Fig. 16 is half in section half in elevation of a pier at G G, Fig. 15. Figs. 17 and 18 are plans of a pier at H H and its platform at I I, Fig. 15; Figs. 19 and 20, sectional elevations at J J J J and K K, Fig. 18; Figs. 21 and 22, sectional elevations at L L and M M, Fig. 16; Figs. 23 and 24, a plan at N N and section at O 0, Fig. 16; Figs. 25, 26, 27, 28, sectional elevations on plan at P P, QQ, R R, S S, Fig. 24; Fig. 29, a sectional plan of the rope-carriage at the top of the car at T T,

Figs. 17 and 29, showing means for changing the ropes and carriages from one car to an other going in opposite directions; Figs. 31 and 32, a section at V V and a plan at W W, Fig. 30. Figs. 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 are details at X X, Y Y, Z Z, Z Z Z Z Fig. 29.

In reference to the drawings, the car 0 is shown by Fig. 1 as provided. to be operated by single ropes (1 da each side between ter minal piers a; by Fig. 2, between terminal piers a and also stopping at intermediate stations as; by Fig. 15, between terminal piers a and also stopping at intermediate exchangepiers ab. WVhen required, the car 0 is suspended from two or more diagonal ropes (i da, Fig. 14, each side carried by drums a on one or more piers a ab to enable the car 0 to be traversed laterally to the extent of the distance apart of the drums e that are on the same side of the car, as well as horizontally and vertically. The ropes d da are secured to the top of the car 0 so as to hinge and allow it to be leveled and retained level as the angle of the ropes vary, as explained below. Cars 0, stopping at intermediate piers ab, Fig. 15, have their ropes attached similarly to the others, but to a carriage or frame able to be removed from and to the tops of the cars a cd, i Figs. 17, 18, moving in opposite directions. The terminal piers a, Figs. 1, 2, 3, are hinged at aa and formed of two duplicate legs with 1 ties 7), between which the cars 0 can pass.

They carry a drum e and spur-wheel f on an i axle ea in bearings eb in gear with oppositeacting worm-wheels fafb able to keep them l from rotating or rotate them when turned by males 9 ga, carried in bearings h and driven by a motor gb, through geared wheels go and chain 1 gd, to more or less let out or wind up the ropes (1 do. on the drum 6. The cars a for traversing l between the piers a have their tops connected 1 in one with a tube 7c, Figs. 4 to 12. The ends Fig. 4; Fig. 30, a section in two parts at U U,

of the ropes d dd form loops through which the tube is is passed to connect them as a hinge. d dc have a crampJca, a'band 7d), and when required, as shown, the two ropes have the width of one upon the tube 70, also cramps db, with trunnions dc, by which the rope dd carries, so as to hinge one end of the quadrants l la, that are formed and held concentrically with the hinge-tube lc by flangewheels dd dcdf upon the rope d, and wheels dg dh dd on links dy' dlc, made to hinge on the spindle kc and the tube 70, which is connected to the top of the car by the ring parts of ja, Fi 30. The links dj dlc are connected by lin s dl to the rope d by the trunnion do of the cramp db.

Pressure-cylinders m n, containing liquid, hin e on tube-trunnions lg, Figs. 7, 8, carried on t e quadrants l la. They haverams mand, Figs. 4, 29, secured to hinge on the top of the car 0 at me me. The quadrant la has teeth lb to gear with a pinion lc, Figs. 7 to 1 1, carried at ld, so as to rotate upon the arm lm, carried by the cylinder led, that is fixed u on the tubelc. The teeth lb drive the pinion c, as the angle of the rope da varies. The pinion lc has a plate le w1th a slot lf, a slide lg in the slot, with a in lj (shown by Fig. 10) at half-stroke, wit a screw-rod vlh secured to rotate to thrust lg and. the end of the rod li hinging upon the pin lj either way to adjust the length of the stroke of the rod llc and piston ll in the cylinder lcd.- The cylinder lcd has an out valve 8 and an in valve 8a, each end, pipes s?) 86, taps sd se, actuated by the lever 8 Figs. 10 to 13, which is worked by the tappetlever 8g, that centers at 872, and hinges at St upon the link sj and the slide slc. The slide .970 is actuated by the revolution'of the pin lj within the guide-frame sl, secured to the arm lm by bolts lmn, so that when the pin lj in its revolution changes the horizontal traverse of the slide slc in either direction-say to that of the arrow, Fig. 13tl1e lever sf and taps sd 82 are reversed and the fluid is drawn from the cylinder m, Fig. 7, through the tap mf, tubes lg, mb md, Figs. 10, 13, the tap 86 to the bottom of the cylinder led, and the fluid at the top of 7rd is thrust through the tap 8d and tubes nd lcc. Figs. 4, 5, rd), Fig. 7, ly,tap 'nfto the cylinder n. The reverse action of the slide sic and parts, Figs 13, act similarly to exhaust the cylinder m and charge the cylinder 4 until the end of the stroke of the quadrant la by the rope dd, which brings the tap mg" and also 'nf by the pinions mi ml and gearstrap my, Figs. 7, 8, 9, by the tappet cord or rod mh to the full-line position, and they are reversed from their position Fig. 8 to close them from their adjacent cylinders m n and open them to the opposite or more distant cylinders n m through the tubes mg mg, so that the car 0 is leveled and liquid is sent into the cylinders lcd, m, and n, that thrust against the quadrants l la. Their wheels dd,

de, df, dg, dh, d'l, cramp db, and ropes d dd, and their rams ma na hinge upon the car 0 at me ac, and its level is retained during angular variations of the ropes d dd by the rope da traversing the quadrant la for its teeth ll) to actuate the pinion la and piston ll in the cylinder lcd to always pump the fluid from one cylinder m to the other 11,, and that it may v send the fluid from and to the same cylinder during the whole of a single stroke of the quadrant la, as the stroke in the cylinder d, the taps sd se, Figs. 8 10, are reversed by the slide 87c, Fig. 13, tappet sg, and lever 8 and that the reverse cylinders m and n may be exhausted and charged by the return j ourney of the car and reverse action of the quadrant la, as the car lands on a pier, the tappet mh, Fig. 9, reverses the' taps mfr f, Figs. 7, 8, to sendthe fluid through the tubes mg ng. It will be seen the tappet 'mh may be a fixture upon the pier instead of upon the arm lm. The stroke of the piston ll in the cylinder lcd gives a varying effect upon the fluid, consequently also upon the rams ma nd and the level of the car. This is obviated by having two or more cylinders lcd or an intermediate air-chamber.

When the car 0 requires it by its size, length of span, or gales, Fig. 14, it is suspended at two points 76 by two diagonal ropes d on one side and da the other from drums e on separate supports a db, or the same made wide enough to insure 0 having steadiness, and separate axles ea, as shown, or both on one. Each rope and tube-hingelc are connected when required by the ropes db clear of the cylinders m n and carry a strut do with straps dd to connect the quadrants l la, and hinge is and work them and the pinion l c, as above explained.

When it is desired to give the car lateral travel, as well as the former motions, the ropes d da are connected direct to one or two hinges 7c, so that by slackening out two opposite ropes d and dc the car 0 gravitates into a line with two supports a db, the drum e, wheel f, and their connecting parts only, or together with the whole support a. or ab are swiveled by the action of the car 0 or other known means to the varying angles of the ropesd da. In the former case, Figs. 24 to 28, the axle g for the case illustrated is built up, as shown, and carries a ring ge, girders g f, bearings eb, wheel f, and drum e, as above; also, the two axles gd with their worm-wheels fafb in the bearings 7L and driving gear-wheels go and chain gd, by which the wheel gc, carkpiston ll reverses itsried upon the rotor gg of the motor gb free from the axle g drives them. The stator gh of the motor gb is fixed upon the frame a of the pier ab, so that the rotor gg drives the wormwheels fa fb simultaneously with and independently of the rotation of the axle g in the bearing h by the tension and variation of the angle of the ropes d (lCb during the transit of the car 13 from pier to pier. The strain of the ropes (1 dc being taken by the ring ge, resting or rotating against the piers a all), the ring ya and girder g f carry keyways gt for a hollow key gj, and the ring ge has slide-guides glc to receive it when clear of g'i, formed of plates 91 and gm. 91 gm are carried on the girder g and ring gc and have slots gn and go for bo ts 910 and gg, connected by links gr to traverse. gp is above the rope dc, gg below it, and connects the key gj, so that when the car 0 is raised by the ropes when in the full-line position dot the key gj locks the ring gc with the frame a and prevents the possibility of the rotation of the chain gel rotating the axle g and its parts; but as the rope da rises toward its upper dotted position it meets the bolt gp and raises the key gj from its ways gt into the slide glc to free the axle g from the frame a and allow it to swivel, rotation of g by the chain gd being then prevented by the weight of the car and ropes. When the car reaches the next pier and the ropes (1 da are slackened out and fall again to the lower position, they are at a maximum angle and the keyway g'i in the ring ye will have rotated more or less away from gt in the frame a, for which a second keyway g L is provided.

When terminal and intermediate piers a at are required, Figs. 15 to 23, with diagonal ropes (1 (1a, they have two drums c and two cc to each span and pier, each with their parts being carried and driven, as explained, and shown by Figsp24 to 28, to swivel on the piers, also platforms 0, Figs. 18 to 23, wide and long enough for two cars 0 cd, the tops of which are similarly fitted with levelingcylindersmn and other parts, as described above, but attached to a carriage to be removable. The platforms 0 have inclined parts 0a, for wheels cc cf on the cars to meet and direct the cars to exact positions to rest on wheels cg, and stages 1) pa with guides ca cb cc to match guides ca 0?) cc on the cars 0 cd, and the motor 91) or another g on an axle qa, worm-wheel gb, geared to a wheel gc, which is on an axle qd and carries the drums gc gf, one each side, and ropes gg, secured to them, pass round wheels gh qj and have loops ([70, Figs. 16, 17, 21, i

30, 32, attached to diagonal ropes gm qn, that pass over swivel-wheels g0 gp and carry balance-weights qq gr, that in their lower position rest on stops gs. Hooks gZ, secured to the slide ya on the cars c cd, enter the loops qlr as the cars alight on the platform 0. The axle qa, Fig. 19, has a drum 1", to which the ropes m 1"?) are attached on op osite sides. Each passes over a drum re and has hooks or slides rd rc attached, projecting through slots rf in the floor to meet the cars, and has weights rg to return them. Thus as the cars 0 ed land on the pier they are directed into position by the inclines 0a. Their hooks gl enter the loops qk, the motor g draws, by the ropes qg, the slides j ja jb, forming the carriage to carry the ends of the ropes (1 da and parts from the guides ca cb cc on the cars 0 cd, Fig. 29, to the guides on the stages p pa, the weights qg qr, Figs. 16, 17, 21, being raised from their stops 8. The drums gc qf, Fig. 18, are then put out of gear and the drum 1" into gear with the motor 7, which draws the hooks rd re and the cars 0 cd from their full-line positions to-ch ct, dotted. The drum 7" is then put out of gear and the drums (1c qf are put into gear again with the motor 9 to draw the slides ja jb and ropes (1 dc and parts from the guides on the stages p pa to those on the cars 0 cd, coming from opposite directions, and they are secured, Figs. 29, 36, 37, by vertical holdfasts cj, secured to work with the rocking shafts ck against the springs cm, carried at one end by the lever on upon the shaft ck and at the other end by the car. The lever on is connected by a rod 00 to its duplicate lever on on a second shaft dc to insure certainty of action. The holdfasts cj are thrust up above the top of the cars by meeting tappets cl,

fixed to the frame a of the piers when the car alights upon them to allow the slides ja jb and ropes (1 dc to be removed from the car 0, and when the car cd receives the slides, the ropes 01 da, and they are in their exact posi. tion the springs cm draw the four holdfasts cj into their dotted positions, Figs. 36, 37, and retain them. The cars 0 cd are then simultaneously raised by the motor or motors gb winding up the ropes 01 da on the drums 6 cc. The loops qk are held down by a stop 0 Fig. 30, on the pier and hold the hooks ql until raised out of gk. After the car has left the pier and is being drawn to the next by the rope or ropes (1 da over the course, but in the opposite direction to the previous car and the other rope or ropes are slackened out proportionally the motor ggives slack to the rope gg, Figs. 16, 17, 30, for the weights gg gr to draw them back, and when the weights gr meet their stops gs the loops glc gravitate into position for the hooks gl of the next car to enter, being guided by the diagonal ropes gm gn and flanges, Fig. 31, on the loops 70. Should a vessel require to pass after the car is landed, the spare rope or ropes (1 dc on the drums 6 cc of the rope stretching across from one pier to another is slackened out to sink belowthe surface Z A, Figs. 1, 2, 15, 16,21, 22, of the water for her to pass over it.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In bridging horizontal and vertical spaces, the combination of a support at either end of the places to be connected, a ropedrum with ropes on each support, a rope-carriage connected to the adjacent ends of the ropes, a car-body, slides on the car-body adapted to receive and retain the rope-carriage, and a means for operating the drum to pay out one rope while the other is being hauled in.

2. In bridging horizontal: and vertical spaces, the combination of supports at either end of the places to be connected and intermediate supports, duplicate rope-drums with ropes on all supports, rope-carriages connected to the adjacent ends of each pair of ropes between two supports, car-bodies, slides on the car-bodies adapted to receive and retain rope-carriages, a transfer-platform on the intermediate supports and similar slides to the car-bodies, a means for pulling the ropecarriages from the car-body to the platform, a meansfor traversing the car-bodies on the platform when the rope-carriages are removed so that the carriages of two meeting cars can be transposed, and a meansfor op erating the connected rope-drums in unison.

3. In bridging horizontal and vertical spaces, the combination of a car or body suspended b one rope on each side wound round an secured to a drum, means to keep the drums from rotating, and the same means to rotate the drums when actuated by a motor to let out either rope more or less and traverse the car horizontally or vertically substantially as described.

4. In bridging horizontal and vertical spaces, the combination of a car or body suspended by more than one diagonal rope on each side, each being wound round and secured to a drum that is able to swivel, means to keep the drums from rotating, and the same means to rotate the drums when actuated by a motor to let out either rope more or less and traverse the car longitudinally, vertically and laterally, substantially as described.

5. In bridging horizontal and vertical spaces, the combination: of, at places to be when driven, bya motor, ropes wound upon 7 and secured to the drumsat oneend the-other end hinged to avcar or body, apair of fluid-- pressure cylinders hinged; to the carriage or car by means of their pistons and totheropes by means of aquadrant connectedto them to level the car, arranging the ropes between the supports and car in straight ordiagonal. lines, attaching them, to thefcar at one or more points, electric or other means of communication from a generator to the; drums, ropes, car-hinges, and a motor to, vary the speeds of the drums to let out more or less rope and allow the car to travel ina horizontal, vertical, and lateral direction, terminal stopping-placesfor the cars at the. supports and intermediately, intermediate supports and sto ping-places for the. car between the termina supports, the means described, or others applicable to. change the ropes atthe intermediate supports from a car or; body go.- ing in one direction to. a car going in the opposite direction, surplus rope on the drums, letting out the surplus ropes after a car is landed to sink in water it has crossed and allow a vessel to float over it substantially as described.

Intestimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT COOKE SAYER.

Witnesses:

LORIN A. LATHROP, GEO. E. CoLEs. 

